Time to Pick Up and Carry On

Andrew Breitbart’s sudden passing leaves conservatives with a gaping hole to fill. I am certain that Joel Pollak, and all the others over at the “Bigs” in the Breitbart.com universe will work like fiends to hold things up, as to my knowledge, they are all committed to excellence. Still, the in-your-face nature of Breitbart himself, combined with his friendly and funny outlook are irreplaceable, indispensable parts of what he had been to conservatism. One of the problems we conservatives suffer is that we are almost always too nice, too kind, too forgiving and too desirous of peace to carry on in battles of this sort. I understand, because nobody wants to exist in a perpetual state of warfare, whether real or cultural, but I am going to ask my readers to do the unthinkable: It’s time to stand up, speak out, and pursue truth without fear.

Many of you have always done so anyway, but there has been an element wishing to avoid conflicts. This same element just wants the primary season over, because they don’t like the spectacle of Republicans attacking one another publicly. I believe this is a faulty idea, and I don’t think it helps us to rush this along just to wind up with a candidate who will suddenly be beset by attacks we hadn’t known were coming. That aside, however, we conservatives are much too careful, and much too timid at times. I’m sure this arises from faith, and from upbringing, but also much more importantly because we have been carefully propagandized to view ourselves as the minority.

We’re no such thing. The truth of the matter is that those who say they are conservative comprises roughly 42% of the country, while those who will admit they are liberal are something well under 25%. You would think with a clear ideological lead in the country at large, conservatives would have a different view of their ability to sway the argument in their direction, but after decades, generations in fact, of a media dominated by leftist thought, most conservatives do not realize their general sentiments comprise a plurality of the electorate and the country at large. This is part of the confidence we gain from people like Breitbart, or Bruce, Hannity, Levin, Limbaugh and a host of others.

When I learned of Andrew Breitbart’s death, like so many others, I was shocked. I heard Hannity describe sitting in his office frozen in place by the thought of it, and I reflected on the fact that I had a similar numbness when I heard the news. I couldn’t quite fathom it. Here had been this glorious warrior for our cause, snuffed out in what should have been the absolute prime of a long life. Astonishing. Saddening. Maddening. The question for all we who survive him is now: What’s next?

I believe our answer must be unambiguous, and it must be that we will pick up and carry on and since Mr. Breitbart did heavy lifting for any number of us, we will need to step up. All of us. In truth, that’s what this blog is really all about. I started it because some people though I wrote too well to be hidden from sight, and because I have a fire in my belly too, to restore this nation, and carry its flame forward to another generation that has not yet known the embrace of liberty. That’s what this blog is about, and it’s what Andrew Breitbart was about, and the willingness to do combat with all who threaten our country, and the liberty it had enjoyed must be defeated, and we must take up that fight.

One of the things you learn from the death of a good man like Andrew Breitbart is that we are a nation built upon the strength of a myriad of individuals, each pursuing his or her own ends, but in honest pursuit, redounding to the benefit of all. That too is part of the meaning of Breitbart, and from him, we can all stand to learn a lesson in how an every-day American can rise and do extraordinary things. This moment, one of you reading may be moved by a similar fire within, or in the next moment resolve to step up and take his place on the line. It will take courage, and it will take a willingness to risk all.

Each day, through various portions of my busy day, I grab moments of various talk-shows that are important, and move me, and make me commit to the fight more than the day before. Sometimes, the host will tell a story that evokes rage over the doings of some politician, and sometimes it will be a monologue by Tammy Bruce imploring conservatives to get off their back-sides and stand up. Sometimes, it will be an inspiring interview, but others, it will be a fit of laughter as Mark Levin dismisses a drone caller in just the way the caller had deserved. Any way you get there is fine with me. Perhaps you will read an inspiring author. It doesn’t matter how you came to be moved, but once you have, what excuse can you possibly offer to remain still?

My point to you is simple: We have suffered a painful and tragic loss that nobody can repair, but there is no a breach in our lines, and we must rush forward to fill it. None of us can today or any day soon hope to replace Andrew Breitbart, but we must advance to fill the gap nevertheless. We must shed the tears in order to remember him in the reverence his many contributions to our lives demand, but then we must pick up and carry on. We can best honor him, and all those like him by remaining true to ourselves and to one another, while carrying this fight forward. The left is enjoying this moment, depraved as they are, because in their view there can be no reverence for one they see as an enemy. Let me make this clear to you, since so few will do it: They hold the same view of you.

I’m not asking you to rage senselessly, but I am asking you to carry on the fight, and when you find yourself or fellow conservatives under withering attacks, rush in to defend. Breitbart did this almost reflexively, because he knew that he would inevitably find that the facts would support the conservative party to an argument in most every case, so his default position was to defend conservatism and conservatives. It’s why he immediately recognized the false narrative the media tried to paint about the Tea Party and racism, sexism, and so on. He knew how the left plays its game, but by now, so do you. Armed with this knowledge, you have everything you need to combat the left.

Timidity will not win the day, and as Breitbart liked to tell us, “everything has changed.” He’s right. The medium that is the Internet has spoiled the main-stream media’s stranglehold on information. It’s destroyed their ability to control the message if enough of us stand up to fill the breaches. They can no longer conceal the truth unless we permit it. We’re coming to an election in which the country’s very existence may well be at stake, and this will be the time for our war paint. We have two important advantages:

We have the truth and the facts on our side

We outnumber them

With these, the only remaining element is that we must begin to behave accordingly.